Adjustable head golf club



Jan. 15, 1957 Y c. v. WINTER 2,777,694

ADJUSTABLE HEAD GOLF CLUB Filed March 27, 1952 Iii}- "-1 'i I Is IN V EN TOR.

nited States Patent ADJUSTABLE HEAD GOLF CLUB Charles V. Winter, Skokie, 11].

Application March 27, 1952, Serial No. 278,795

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-79) This invention relates to adjustable head golf clubs and is related broadly to the types of adjustable golf clubs in which the striking face of the club head is movable angularly with respect to the shaft of the club so as to provide a variation in the loft or angle of travel of a ball when struck by the face of a club head. EX- amples of this broad classification of golf clubs may be found in my United States Patent No. 2,329,313, issued September 14, 1943, upon an application filed August 20, 1941, under Serial No. 407,531, as well as shown in my co-pending applications filed on January 29, 1952, under Serial Nos. 268,853 and 268,854, entitled Adjustable Golf Wood and Golf Clubs, respectively. Application No. 268,853 is now abandoned, and application No. 268,854 has matured into Patent No. 2,705,- 147, issued March 29, 1955.

in the manufacture of such adjustable golf clubs it is necessary to provide means or mechanisms by which the angular adjustment between the striking face of the club head and the club shaft can be changed as desired and by which the desired adjustment may be maintained as long as desired. Due to the fact that movement between the golf club head and the shaft is permitted for adjustment purposes the means for holding the adjustment should be of sufiicient strength and proper design to give the player the feeling that he is using a golf clubv formed into one unitary club while he is using the same. Any looseness between two movable parts tends to give the player a feeling of insecurity, and the impact of the club head upon the hall is so great as to tend to break or damage any holding parts which do not securely hold and prevent relative movement between the parts.

As shown in my said prior Patent No. 2,329,313 there may be provided between the golf club head and the shaft a connection comprising a plurality of outwardly extending teeth or serrations surrounding an annular bore at the inner or heel end of the golf club head while a similar arrangement of teeth or serrations surrounds a threaded bolt'shank carried by the lower end of the golf club shaft; these teeth or serrations mesh with each other when the threaded shank is passed through the bore of the club head and are designed to prevent rotation between the club head and threaded shank When a nut is tightened upon the threaded shank to clamp the club head to the shaft.

In order to obtain a plurality of angular adjustments between. the striking face and the shaft and to hold these angular adjustments, I provided in my said prior patent a circle of small teeth surrounding the open bore at the heel end of the club head, and a similar number of counterpart teeth arranged around the shank carried by the golf shaft. In the ordinary set of individual clubs made with unitary heads and shafts the angular change from one club to the next may be in the range of 9 to 12 from the horizontal. If the toothed adjustment for the adjustable golf club is to give similar angles of relationship to the horizontal it is and has been considered desirable to use from 30 to 40 teeth, for example,

.a golf ball.

were exposed to the possibility of collecting dust or "ice so that a movement of the club head through an are defined by one tooth would be equivalent to the angular difference between the faces of two conventional clubs in sequence, such as the number 2 and 3 irons or the number 1 and 2 woods. I

In view of the limitations of size of club heads, shanks, and shafts it can be seen that each one of these teeth or serrations would be of relatively small size and strength, and that a secure, tightening of the nut upon the threaded shank would be necessary to hold the teeth tightly in mesh to prevent a stripping ordeformation of some or all of the teeth due to the relative movement between the shank and head at the time of impact with The adjusting teeth of my said prior patent other foreign matter which might prevent complete meshing and also prevent secure locking of the movable parts together.

A broad object of this invention is the provision of an adjustable golf club, either wood or iron, in which the striking face of the club is subject to various angular adjustments with respect to the club shaft and in which provision is made for a more secure and lasting locking arrangement between the club head and club shaft. 1

A further object of thisinvention is the provision of such an adjustable club in which the meshing teeth or ribs are completely encased and protectedfrom the entrance of dust and other foreign material, and in view of the fact that the adjusting teeth or ribs mesh with each other over a considerable distance, greater strength is provided in the meshing locking arrangement.

A further object of this invention is the provision of meshing teeth or ribs which are interlocked over such a considerable dimension that an inadvertent or careless failure to tighten a clamping bolt or nut sufiiciently will not permit a stripping of the teeth or ribs by the impact of the club head against a golf ball, which would seriously damage or destroy the club as a useful unit.

Other and more detailed objects will appear more fully as this description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of one of my improved clubs, of the iron type as contrasted to the wood type,

with a portion of the shaft and hosel broken away.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation view of the club shown in Fig. 1. e

Fig. 3 is a detail of the hosel, shank, and lateral extension of the shank carrying the longitudinally arranged V-shaped ribs around the periphery of the lateral ex tension.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation view of the club head showing the enlarged annular recess carrying longitudinally extending V-shaped ribs for receiving the ribbed shank carried by the hosel shown in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a detail view in elevation showing the outer or exposed end of the clamping screw employed to hold the hosel, shank and club head in desired adjusted relation.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the club illustrated comprises a head H having a toe portion T and a heel h. Extending longitudinally of the head and substantially centrally between its upper and lower edges is a threaded bore 10 which extends substantially to the toe, and ends within the interior of the club head. The open end of bore 10 communicates with a pair of oppositely laterally extending slots 11 which receive a pair of diametrically oppositely arranged lugs 12 carried by a ring-shaped cup 13, and these lugs 12 are preferably forced into these slots 11 by a pressed fit. The extreme inner end of the club head provides a flat annular seat 14 for the support Patented Jan. 15, 1957 f the p rti n of the ,per n ry n thenuteriend of the ring-shaped cup 13 which extend between the lugs 12.

Referring now to Fig. 4-the cup 13 is provided with w an axial bore 15 which is arranged coanially with the bore Ill-f club head Anenlarged-lannular recess 16is arranged concentrically, around-the bore15-and its periphery carries a plurality of longitudinally extending V-, shaped ribs 17 "preferably from 30 .to 14.0 in number. These Veshaped ribs, except for the fact that they :are

V-shaped in cross-section, resemble gear teeth and extend towardthe heel of club head H but do not extend the. ,full length of the cup 13; the relative dimensionsofithe cup 13 and these ribs 17 thus leayeaan end wallfor-cup 13,2which seats in fifflush relation upon. (the :annular V shoulder 14 carried ;by the heelh of the club head.

Referring, now to Fig. -2 ithefzhosel ;Z. .carries a;goose neck hank Sharing an enlarged lower extremity or lbase 1 8 from which protrudes laterally a cylindrical extension 19 shown in Fig. .3, .and .extendingzaxiallylthereirom, and, laterally of ,the base 18, is a reduced cylindrical extension 20. Around the periphery of the cylindrical extension v20 are Val-raped externalribs-Zl running lengthwise'of the extension 20, and of asize and number-to form counterpart ribs to: slide intomeshkwith "the V-shaped ribs '17 carried upon the inner periphery-16of1cup 13. Surrounding the extension 20 -is an annular-shoulder 22 "carried at the end of extension19,.andwhen the V 1 Shaped ribs 21 are slid into mesh with the V-shaped ribs 17 carried by ;the cup r13,this annular shoulder'22 forms a flush, face-to-face, contact with "the annular free end of'the cup 13. 7

Extending. through the base 18, thecylindrical "ex- "tension 19, and the ribbed extension 20, is an annular smooth bore 23 which ends inan'enlargedannular recess 24 providing an annular shoulder 25 surroun'd-ingthe r 7 interior end of the bore 23, :Receivred within the en-n larged reeess 24 is the cylindrical head 2 6 of a bolt 27 'which carries .a plurality of threads=at its opposite end I for cooperation with the'threads 'of'-the'bor'ecarried in ,club head H. A portion of the-bolt-27 intermediate nitsthreaded end and the cylindrical head '26 is smooth and can rotate in the bore 23 carried in theextensions 19 and 2t) ofshank S. 'The-cylindricalhead 26'carries asocket :28 for the reception of=a socket wrench-head. (not shown) to be used for tightening and loosening the bolt 27.

. The outer periphery of thecup 1'3 nlay carry :a marking arrow to cooperate with a plurality of numbered a markers '30 carried on the periphery of extension 19,

, carried by shank S so as to indicate the position to which the head should be turned-to give anangular loft comparable to that of the conventional type of club known by--a number corresponding to the number on extension opposite the marker 29.

so that the marker '19 is in alignment with one of the markers 36 which isused to indicate that the angular adjustment between the face .of the clubhead and the hosel Z corresponds to the loft of a club head bearing anemone the number ,oniextension 19 which is ,opposite themarlser 29. After the player has made his choice of the type of angle he desires, he then slides the ribs 21 of'the extension 2t into mesh with the ribs carried in cup 13, and tightens the bolt 27 'so as to lock-the counterpart V-shaped ribs tightly in mesh and to bring the annular shoulder 22 of extension 19 into a tight flush fit with d the shoulder surrounding the openend of cup13.

-It can heseen that the V-shaped ribs are thoroughly protected frorn the-entrance of dust ,or other foreign 'material, and due to the distance the ribs are in r'nesh, a

very .stizong non-relative connection is estahlished between the hosel and head of the golf club.

While I have shown and describedimy preferred form of construction, I do not wish to be limited to the precise details shown and described, but wish to avail myself of any and all variations coming fairlywithin thescope of the appended-claim.

What is :claimed'is: An adjustable-golf club comprising -'-a head having a generally flat heel iaceand tonned =With=a bore extending inward through the heel face and :threadedadjacent to i-tsinner end, said headbeing provided "with a plurality of spaced cut-outs each-extending inwardly through said heel face and opening laterally into said here and throughtheouter surface .of said head, a sleeve having an axial through here and arranged with one end abutting the heel face of :said head andthe bore :of said sleeve in axial alignmentrwith the :bore of said headga plurality of lugs projecting from said oneend of :said sleeve and respectively removably forcefiitted in said cut-outs t-to fixedly secure said sleeve in said'abutting relation with said heel face, a plurality of i-nternal v shaped'ribs lo cated about zand extending longitudinally along the bore of said sleeve, a hosel base havingwone face firmly-abutting the other end of said sleeveand 'iormed with 'a through bore in axial alignment Withthe b'ores of said sleeve'and head, a reduced annular: extension on said one face of .said base surrounding :the bore of said base' and extending through the bore .of said sleeve anddnto-the bore ;of the head terminating :short of the threaded portion in the latter :bore, apluralityof external RI-shaped ribs-located about'the'periphery of andfextendinglongitudinally along said reduced extension in nonrotating interfitting engagement with :the internal ribs 0f said sleeve, said reduced extension :being slidahly withdrawable from and reinsertable in saidsleeve and' heajd'bores longitudinally .of said interfitting ribs :to n'on'rotatably connect said extension and sleeve in a'selected position of relative rotation, and :a headed bolt extendingslidably inward through the thereof said base, said extension and sleeve and into threadedengagement with the bore of said-head with the ahead of said :boltabutting said base to clamp together said base, sleeve and head.

References Cited in the, filefof zthislpatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 776,368 Urquhart Nov. '29, 9304 1,165,559 Vories Dec. 28, 1915 1,219,417 -Vories M21113, 1917 2,425,808 Jakosky Aug..19, 19 47 2,495,444 Chamberlainet a1. Jan. 24, 1950 2,576,866 Verderbern; Nov. .27, 1951 2,593,368 Verderber Apr. 15, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1903 

